From Our Spl Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Nov 10 Spiralling HIV infection among security personnel posted in vulnerable States in the North Eastern Region (NER), has come to haunt Central para-military forces, with 22 out of 10,000 of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel testing HIV positive in the Region. The not so alarming data has, however, led the CRPF to redraw its strategy and chalk out new course of action to meet the latest challenge. The silent killer has the potential to have devastating impact, as far as the casualty figures are concerned in the NER, official here conceded.
According to sources, the CRPF recently conducted ELISA test among 10,000 of the 30,000 personnel posted in the North-east. The Force had to limit the exercise to only those who volunteered for the test. The Force cannot order its personnel to undergo HIV test because of a judgement by Supreme Court.
The result did not shock its officials, but surely came as a warning of the brewing trouble, it faced in the Region. Those who tested positive were posted in Manipur and Nagaland, sources in the CRPF confided.
We expected higher figures and this has come as a great relief to us because these two States are among the worst affected, said the official handling an anti-AIDS programme in the security force.
CRPF, which is the largest central para-military force in the country with a total strength of 186 battalions and rising, has so far recorded 310 HIV positive, out of which 100 personnel have died.
Sources said the Force has a well-laid out three-tier system to tackle the menace. The Forces AIDS Control Cell is located at its headquarters, followed by Regional AIDS Control Cell at Group Centre and battalion-level unit AIDS Control Cell.
Sources said that from December a new exercise called Behavioural Surveillance Survey would be conducted to generate base line data to help in formulation of future strategy against AIDS.
The Survey itself would be conducted in North-east, Jammu and Kashmir and Naxal hit States, where the CRPF has bulk deployment of its forces.
The questionnaire is planned to circulated among 25,000 of its personnel, who would enjoy full anonymity. The Assessment would be done with technical help from Resource Centre for Sexual Help and HIV/AIDS. The entire exercise is expected to be completed by March next year, sources said.
The Forces were waiting for long to test all soldiers going to the North-east, as well as those returning from the Region. The proposal was to create a DNA database and to introduce mandatory HIV tests for all new recruits to the army, navy and air force
According to an estimate, some 100 soldiers have been removed from service after developing full blown AIDS in the past two years.
The CRPF for one toyed with various proposals like distributing condoms before its personnel leave for home.
We have found that over 80 percent of the AIDS cases that have been reported were found in personnel who had returned from leave, said a CRPF official.
Since 1991, when the first case of AIDS was reported in the organisation, over 300 have been undergoing treatment.
It was impossible that the virus could have spread because of blood transfusion or use of infected syringes by the personnel because the medical facilities available to our men is of the highest order, added another CRPF official.
Umesh Sharma
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